Apparatus, Systems and Methods for Manufacturing Food Products

ABSTRACT

Apparatus, systems and methods are disclosed for manufacturing slices of sausages that appear to have been cut from a conventional round sausage log at an angle. An illustrative embodiment provides a manufacturing process for making portions to be finished into angled pet treats comprising: (a) providing a ground mix of proteinaceous material, flavor enhancers and preservatives to a forming chamber comprising: a fixed base surface, a fixed top surface, and a movable intermediate section insertable between said base and top surfaces, said intermediate section having a plurality of die cavities that each have a central axis oblique to the surface of said intermediate plate, said top surface having a plurality of feeder holes that overlap at least partially with said die cavities, (b) filling said plurality of die cavities via said feeder holes with said foodstuff, thereby forming a plurality of portions in shapes and dimensions that generally correspond to the shapes and dimensions of said die cavities, (b) moving said intermediate section containing said plurality of portions out of said chamber, (c) forcibly ejecting said portions with a plurality of longitudinal elements that reciprocate in and out of said die cavities along said central axis, thereby forming angled pet treats.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention generally relates to apparatus, systems andmethods for manufacturing food, more specifically angular patties,sausages or other proteinaceous products of variable texture for animalconsumption.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

A large and growing number of households have pets. Studies have shownthat pet owners often treat their pets as they treat close friends andrelatives. Owners include pets in holiday celebrations, and often referto themselves as the parents of their pets. Such affinity is tangiblydemonstrated in the rapid growth of a multibillion dollar pet industrywith an increasing demand for pet products that mimic human products.

Health conscious consumers are also demanding higher quality pet foodthat is not only closer in ingredient quality to human food, but alsolooks less processed and more natural. However, conventional pet foodproducers seldom focus on the visual impact of pet food that heightensaesthetic appeal to a purchaser, even if they integrate advancedingredients more commonly found in food produced for human consumption.

Meat patties and related products for both human and animal consumptionare commonly made using forming processes and systems, including aforming or mold plate and knockout cups. Typically, a meat emulsion isconveyed into cavities on a mold plate, and knocked out with cups thattravel in a direction perpendicular to the process. Usually, pattyforming plates have cavities with vertical sides which requirevertically reciprocating knockout cups. With multiple cavities andknockout cups, the typical forming machine processes large quantities offood in an hour, and produce products that have the familiar disc-likeshape of frozen hamburger patties. There have been some minor variationsto this traditional process for meat patties, particularly for humanconsumption, where patties having more natural and irregular edges areformed, to cater to the demand of high end restaurants and theirpatrons. These newer techniques have been produced by forming meat underpressure in an irregularly shaped die cavity followed, by pressing thetop and bottom surfaces together.

Processes used for human grade food are rarely suitable for the pet foodmarket which has different requirements. For instance, human gradesausages or patties are usually designed for relatively short shelflives. Pet food, on the other hand, is engineered to be stored (ifnecessary) for eighteen months after manufacturing before it isconsumed, and therefore requires a substantially longer shelf life.Human grade sausage patties, once opened, become stale in less than aweek unless refrigerated. Pet treats, however, are expected to last forup to three months after the package is opened, without refrigeration.The delay in the storage and consumption of pet foods requires morecareful ingredient selection, preservation of freshness withantioxidants, processing that avoids insects and rancidity, carefulpackaging and storage.

Since high moisture meat products tend to spoil quickly, such productsare usually sold in cans in the pet food market, and are more typical ascat food. Pet food or kibble with low moisture content (typically lessthan 10%), are dry and hard, and less palatable to pets. Semi-moist petfood, typically having moisture content between 15 and 30%, is verypopular with animals since it has a texture and palatability that isclosest to meat. However, as discussed, semi-moist pet food is difficultto store in a stable condition, without canning or refrigeration, forlong periods.

Skinned sausage links for human consumption are made from beef, veal,pork, lamb, poultry and wild game, using a unique blend of oldprocedures and newer, highly-mechanized processes. However, the basicprocedure of stuffing meat into casings to make sausages still remainscommercially viable today. Skinned sausages are generally perceived tobe of even higher quality than formed sausage patties for humanconsumption. Skinned sausages are typically sliced only after they arecooked, otherwise maintenance of slice integrity is difficult. Whensliced, typically by hand before a meal, the sausages are typically cutinto angular slices. Hand slicing further conveys to consumers theimpression of premium quality and more personalized food preparation.

There is no economical process that can produce high volumes of slicedsausages that appear to have been sliced off the sausage log for humanconsumption, much less for pet food consumption. Thus, neitherconventional pet food manufacturing processes nor traditional foodproduction techniques used for human consumption can meet therequirements of cost-effectively manufacturing slices of semi-moist,shelf-stable, meat patties that appear to have been cut at an angle froma conventional round skinned sausage log. Moreover, there are noeconomic methods for forming such angled sausage slices in a continuousmanufacturing process.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Illustrative embodiments of the present invention include apparatus,systems and methods for manufacturing slices of reconstituted foodproducts that appear to have been cut from a previously whole foodproduct at an angle. Particularly, the disclosed invention is useful formanufacturing a sliced sausage, meat or other proteinaceous product thatappears to have been cut at an angle from a whole, skinned sausage. Inone illustrative embodiment, the present invention utilizes knockoutcavities and knockout cups that are angled, to develop an animal treatthat looks similar to human grade skinned sausage log that has beensliced at an angle, and the exposed faces of the sausage patty revealthe product ingredients such as beef muscle chunks, rice, or apples.

Shown herein, as another illustrative embodiment, is a manufacturingprocess for making portions to be finished into angled pet treatscomprising: (a) providing a ground mix of proteinaceous material, flavorenhancers and preservatives to a forming chamber comprising: a fixedbase surface, a fixed top surface, and a movable intermediate sectioninsertable between said base and top surfaces, said intermediate sectionhaving a plurality of die cavities that each have a central axis obliqueto the surface of said intermediate plate, said top surface having aplurality of feeder holes that overlap at least partially with said diecavities, (b) filling said plurality of die cavities via said feederholes with said foodstuff, thereby forming a plurality of portions inshapes and dimensions that generally correspond to the shapes anddimensions of said die cavities, (b) moving said intermediate sectioncontaining said plurality of portions out of said chamber, (c) forciblyejecting said portions with a plurality of longitudinal elements thatreciprocate in and out of said die cavities along said central axis,thereby forming angled pet treats.

While embodiments of the present invention are described primarily withrespect to pet food products and pet sausage treats in particular, itshould be appreciated that the disclosed apparatus, systems and methodsmay be applied to the cost-effective production of a broad range of foodproducts, whether intended for pet or human consumption.

It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the foregoingbrief description and the following detailed description are exemplaryand explanatory only, and are not intended to be restrictive thereof orlimiting the invention. Thus, the accompanying drawings, referred toherein and constituting a part hereof, illustrate only preferredembodiments of the invention, and, together with the detaileddescription, serve to explain the principles of the invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is an overall process schematic for making patties with anglededges, according to an illustrative embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 2 is an illustration of the basic configuration of a conventionalknockout forming system typically employed in the prior art.

FIG. 3A-D is an illustration of the operation of a standard pattyforming system typically employed in the prior art.

FIG. 4 details an angled knockout system, according to an illustrativeembodiment of the invention.

FIGS. 5A-B, 6A-B, and 7A-B, show angled patties formed and knocked outat 60.degree., 45.degree., and 30.degree., respectively, according to anillustrative embodiments of the invention.

FIGS. 8A-B, 9A-B, 10A-B, and 11A-B, show angled sausage patties ofvarious geometric and non-geometric (irregular) shapes according to anillustrative embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 12A-12B show perspective views of a knockout system configurationthat is designed to evacuate angled patty product away from the formingequipment, according to an illustrative embodiment of the invention.

FIGS. 13A and 13B show perspective views of a knockout systemconfiguration that is designed to evacuate angled patty product towardthe forming equipment, according to an illustrative embodiment of theinvention.

FIGS. 14A, 14B and 14C show perspective views of a knockout systemconfiguration that is designed to evacuate angled patty product parallelto the forming equipment, according to an illustrative embodiment of theinvention.

FIGS. 15A and 15B show a mechanism for implementing angular knockoutcups using an actuator mechanism mounted at an angle to enable areciprocating knockout action at any desired angle, according to anillustrative embodiment of the invention.

FIGS. 16A, 16B and 16C show a mechanism for implementing angularknockout cups using a vertical actuator mechanism working in conjunctionwith a hinged mechanism to enable a reciprocating knockout action at anydesired angle, according to an illustrative embodiment of the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

Illustrative and alternative embodiments and operational details ofapparatus, systems and methods to manufacture a plurality of angledpatties and/or sausage treats of varying texture in a continuous processwill be discussed in detail below with reference to the figuresprovided. The subject invention is generally relevant to any edible foodproduct produced at least in part through extrusion, includingapparatus, systems and methods for making such products. One preferredproduct, however, is an edible food product for animal consumption, moreparticularly an angled sausage treat for pets containing meat and/ormeat analogs.

In one illustrative embodiment of the invention shown in FIG. 1, frozenblocks of muscle meat, organs or any appropriate proteinaceous materialare processed through a first grinder (100) containing a grinding platewith openings that are 1/16″ to 1″ in diameter, preferably approximately⅜″, resulting in an output that has large chunks of meat. The groundmeat is batched and mixed in a mixer (120), typically a ribbon flightmixer or a sigma blade mixer or a solid screw mixer. Dry and liquidingredients (110) are added to the meat batch in the mixer. The mixedbatch may also be processed with a second grinder (130) containing agrinding plate ideally with ⅜″ diameter openings, or otherwise withopenings between 1/16″ and 1,″ that assists in the consistent mixing ofboth longitudinal grains and smaller chunks of meat in such a way thatthe resultant meat emulsion can be extruded easily. This additionalgrinding step, if used, can also contribute to the appearance andtexture of the final angled patty or sausage product. Note also thatwhile the grinding and mixing steps described herein are a preferredembodiment, similar results can also be attained by separately sourcingpre-ground (and pre-mixed) proteins and other ingredients, and thenusing this externally sourced ground mix as the starting raw material tocarry out the rest of the process steps described in FIG. 1 and below.

The ground meat emulsion is fed into the hopper of a patty former (140,and explained in further detail infra) which in turn fills a knockoutplate (150) located proximately. Once the knockout plate is filled, theplate extends beyond the hopper walls to the knockout area. The productis knocked out (160) and collected on trays. The trays are fed then intoan oven dryer (170). If a continuous belt is used, then the belt feedsdirectly into the oven. The angled patties are dried ideally at between140° and 180° F., but anywhere between 130° and 250° F., for severalhours, ideally in the range of 4-6 hours. The temperature and dryingprofile is important to prevent the generation of skin or shriveling ofmeat in the product. After drying, the sausage patties are cooled (180)for 1-4 hours at ambient temperature before continuing to packaging(190). A non-ambient air cooling operation may also be used.

Before describing the patty former and knockout system used in theprocess of FIG. 1 (140, 150) of the present invention, it is helpful tofirst discuss conventional approaches of the prior art in some moredepth. A typical prior art knockout system used in a standard pattyformer is illustrated in FIG. 2, and incorporates knockout cavities(220) that fill perpendicular to the face of the knockout plates orsurfaces (200). Concurrently, the knockout cups (210) travel along avertical central axis (220) that is perpendicular to the face of theknockout plate as well. FIG. 3A-3D shows a typical sequence ofoperations of such a standard patty forming operation in more detail.The patty former contains two stationary plates or surfaces (300A and305A) between which an intermediate “knockout” section or plate (315A)is positioned. The knock out plate can move in and out of the formingchamber. The knockout plate contains a plurality of holes that serve asmolding dies or cavities for the meat emulsion that is fed from the topof the patty former. The molding dies are vertical cylindrical holeswith sides that are perpendicular to the top and bottom faces of theknockout plate, which are used to produce cylindrical, disc-shapedpatties. The top stationary plate (305A) also has a plurality of feederholes, with each feeder hole in the stationary plate aligning with acorresponding mold cavity in the knockout plate. When the meat emulsionis fed under pressure (310A) through the forming chamber (301A), itenters through the feeder holes (320A) of the top plate (305A) into themold cavities of the knockout plate (315A). After the meat is pressedand formed into the mold cavities of the knockout plate, pressure isreleased, and FIG. 3B shows the knockout plate moved horizontally (300B)out of the chamber, positioning the formed patties (310B) below theknockout plate (320B). The pieces of formed patties (330C) are thenforced/knocked out (FIG. 3C) through the motion (300C) of verticalplungers (also known as knockout cups or rods) (310C) that travelperpendicular (320C) to the face of the knockout plates (315A or 320B).The patties then fall to a conveyor (340C) below for further processing.Following the “knockout” segment (FIG. 3C), the knockout cups andknockout plate return to their positions (300D, 310D). While the diecavities (220 or 310B) normally have vertical sidewalls, sometimes theside walls are also slightly tapered outward toward the bottom tofacilitate quick product release when the product is eventually punchedout by the knockout cups, so that the diameter of the hole at the bottomof the die is slightly larger than the diameter of the hole of the topof the cavity. While the outward tapering coupled with the verticalknock enables a quicker release of the patties during knockout, theresulting end-product still has sides generally perpendicular to the topand bottom, in the familiar disc-shape of hamburger patties.

Unlike the conventional method of the prior art discussed in thepreceding paragraph, FIG. 4-FIG. 16 details significant modificationsand improvements of the traditional forming process to produce meat orother proteinaceous products with angled edges, in accordance with anillustrative embodiment of the present invention. Starting with FIG. 4,in order to simulate an angled cut, the walls of the fill cavities (420)and path of travel (430) (along the central axis (420)) for thelongitudinal knockout members or cups (410) are modified to an angle(440), which can generally be varied 10°-80° from the face of theknockout plate, but is preferably within 30°-60°. The resulting products(FIG. 5A-FIG. 7A) have elongated faces (500A-700A) and angled sides(500B-700B), similar to product that is hand cut from an extruded log ora sausage product for humans that is hand sliced after cooking, exposingthe surface. It will be apparent to one skilled in the art that whilethe intermediate section is described herein as a plate, it can be ofother shapes as well, so long as the intermediate section is capable ofreciprocating in and out of the patty chamber. Likewise, the top andbottom plates also can also be sections of varying shapes and sizes, solong as the top surface of the bottom section, and the bottom surface ofthe top section, can be aligned with the top and bottom surfaces of theintermediate section in such a way that the intermediate section canstill move in and out of the chamber, and the feeder holes in the topsection at least partially align with the die cavities of theintermediate section.

The knockout cup and cavity system shown in FIG. 4 can also be designedto aid the formation of angled meat patties that look like slicedskinned sausage logs. This is done by taking advantage of the shear andfrictional forces created by an angular knockout system. Since theformed meat in the cavities is no longer pushed out through downwardvertical force and is instead squeezed through an angular hole, there ismore frictional and shear forces that the plunger (knockout cup) has toovercome. Referring to FIG. 4, the plunger travelling in the direction(430) encounters more resistance in the “acute angle” half of the cavity(480) when the meat is pushed out, and relatively less resistance in the“obtuse angle” side (470). This additional resistance (as compared withless resistance for the vertical systems of the prior art describedsupra) enables the end product to appear raised around the patty edges.In other words, the frictional and shear forces of the angled plungercan be utilized, if necessary, to create an “overhang” at the edges ofthe patties, giving it a more natural “skinned sausage slice” look.While the plunger diameter must be less than the diameter of the cavity,even this difference can be emphasized as another variable thatdetermines the quality of the “skinned slice” look. Higher thedifference between the diameter of the plunger and the diameter of thecavity, thicker is the “skin” formed by shear at the end of the sausage,but these differences in diameter cannot be too large or the plungerwill just jab through the middle of the patty. Typically the diameter ofthe plunger is adjusted to within about 10% of the diameter of thecavity. Further, this plunger is also designed in a way where thecontact face of the plunger (480 to 470) is usually at an angle (450) tothe face of top face of the mold plate (400)—in other words the contactface is often designed to be parallel to the horizontal top face of themold plate (400). This enables the plunger to first contact the moldedmeaty material at (480) and, as it pushes its way through, also contactthe material at (470), eventually pushing the whole product out. Becauseof the differential force between the two corners (470 and 480), theoverhanging skin is also more pronounced at one side of the log, makingthe appearance of the final product closer to the appearance of a slicedskinned sausage log. Depending on the dimensions and features of theproduct required, and the type of ingredients and process conditionsused, this plunger contact angle (450) is varied from about 5°-50°.

Chunks of muscle meat, rice, etc. (ingredient alternatives for apreferred embodiment) are discussed further in TABLE 1 below, and arealso visible on the surface of the patties. Adjusting the initialmoisture content of the blend of proteinaceous material and thetemperature and length of the drying operation further contributes toeither a wrinkled or smooth appearance of the product. For example, theskin formed on the sides and top as a result of slow drying can furtherenhance the appearance of the quality of human grade sausage pieces cutfrom whole sausages. The angled cavity-knockout system may alsoincorporate the shapes of circles, ellipses, triangles, squares,non-geometric shapes and other irregular shapes (FIG. 8-11). In aproduction setting, the knockout system would incorporate as many as 2to 200 cavities with reciprocating knockout cups (similar to the 36 cupproduction system shown in FIG. 12A-12B).

As one skilled in the art will recognize, there are many possible waysfor implementing production grade systems containing multiple diecavities for operation with multiple knockout members. Much of this willdepend on space, and desired process and engineering considerations. Forinstance, the knockout assembly can be arranged to evacuate angledpatties that drop to the conveyor (see FIG. 1, 150-160) in differentconfigurations. The knockout cups can be angled away from the formingequipment (FIG. 12A, FIG. 12B), or towards the forming equipment (FIG.13A, FIG. 13B), or parallel to the forming equipment (FIG. 14A, FIG.14B). FIG. 1, (150), can also be considered as an angled knockout systemthat is parallel to the forming equipment (140), similar to FIG. 14.

There are also many possible mechanisms for implementing multipleknockouts at an angle, and a few of these are illustrated in FIG. 15 andFIG. 16. FIG. 15 involves mounting an actuator (1500A) in the angle(1510A) of desired angular reciprocating motion (1520A). The knockoutelements are attached to a mounting plate (1500B) would ultimately bedirected by the actuator to ensure an angular reciprocating action.Another solution, FIG. 16, incorporates a vertical actuator (1600B)working with a hinged mechanism (1610B, 1620B). The vertical motion(1630B) of the vertical actuator (1600B) is translated to a rotation ofthe hinge mechanism which drives the knockout assembly (1640B) in thedirection (1650B), in the desired oblique angle (1660B) for the patties.Other solutions may include the use of cam systems or multiple actuators(not shown). Note also that it is possible to produce products where thecavities and plungers vary in size so that the products cumulativelyproduced during a process run appear to be of varying shapes and sizes,thereby simulating a product mix that has a more random and naturallook.

While the foregoing description explains the manufacturing process usedto make the product, it is also important to note, as will be evident toone skilled in the art, that the type and relative proportions ofingredients used in making the product also plays a role in the texture,semi-moistness and appetizing appearance of the final product. Inparticular, the increased proportion of meat used in this process helpsdevelop a rough texture that appears more like human grade sausage.

Two recipes (A and B) are shown below to demonstrate some typicalproportions of proteins and other ingredients used in the beginning ofthe process (FIG. 1 at mixer 120) to make an angled sausage or pattytreat for animal consumption (numbers below are in weight percent):

Component Recipe A Recipe B Meat/Animal Protein 62% 59% Plant Protein 6% 10% Starches 15% 20% Flavors 15% 10% Preservatives  2%  1% TOTAL100%  100% 

While the recipes above are specific, TABLE 1 below illustrates thebroader ranges of composition of the key components that can be used inconjunction with the process described herein to make angledproteinaceous food treats for animal consumption. Some of thesecombinations would also be useful for making long-lasting products forhuman consumption, as will be appreciated by one skilled in the art.Note that many of these starting ingredients (e.g., beef or chicken orvegetables) inherently contain water.

TABLE 1 Category Typical examples/comments Proportion (wt. %) ProteinsChicken, beef, pork, turkey, venison, duck, 40-70%  etc., or acombination. Premium and lower grade meats, or offal, could also beused. Meat analogs such as soy or vegetable protein can also be used fordeveloping more healthy snacks. Flours/Starch/ Wheat, soy, corn,tapioca, etc., or a 0-20% Carbohydrates combination Vegetables/FruitsApples, banana, sweet potato, cranberry,  10% carrots, peas, etc., or acombination Flavor enhancers Sugar, salt, garlic, onion, digests. 5-20%Preservatives Potassium sorbate, sorbic acid, butylated 0.01-5% hydroxyanisole (BHA), butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT), mixed tocopherols,calcium propionate, zinc propionate, rosemary extract, citric acid,sodium erythobate,

Accelerated testing studies have also indicated that recipes A and Bproduce pet treats that are shelf stable for at least 18 months,maintaining a stabilized intermediate moisture content (15-30% byweight, usually 18-26%), and stabilized water activity (Aw ranging from0.60 to 0.78, usually 0.65-0.75%) without refrigeration under normalconditions of storage in homes or stores that are reasonable andexpected for the packaged pet foods industry. The ingredient mix, withinthe composition ranges in TABLE 1 provided above, can also be adjustedas needed by one skilled in the art to ensure that similar stabilizedmoisture content and water activity is achieved to create final packagedproducts that are semi-most and shelf-stable for at least 18 months.

It will be apparent to one skilled in the art that the final shape andtexture of the end products, and their size and thickness distributions,whether for animal or human consumption, can be pre-designed and/ormanipulated on-the-fly during the manufacturing process by pre-selectingand/or dynamically adjusting various process variables. These variablesinclude, but are not limited to, the following:

-   -   1. Having a range of repeating and/or irregular patterns, sizes        and shapes of the knockout cups to develop an assortment of        product sizes and shapes in a process run (FIGS. 5A, 10A, 11A,        8A).    -   2. In addition to the drying conditions described above, the        angle of the knockout, which in conjunction with the composition        of the mix (see 3 below), are important in optimizing the        “wrinkled edges with skin” appearance and grainy texture of the        final product. A vertical knockout system imparts almost the        same uniform force across the patty, whereas the oblique        knockout has more variation in the imparted force across the        “slice” of the sausage, particularly a sharper difference in        force between the edges of the slice and the center that is        caused by differential shearing, which in turn is typically a        function of the oblique angle, the speed of the knockout cups,        the materials and composition of the patty blend, the        temperature and pressure during compaction of the patties.    -   3. Speed of the reciprocating angled knockout cups can be        adjusted along with the speed of the conveyor to create        differences in the product appearance. For instance at        relatively slower speeds, the knockout cup will stretch the meat        out more “gently” before dislodging it into the angular slice,        thereby creating more differential stress between the center and        the edges, and this results in more of a pulled or torn look        that would be created by a person using a blunter knife on a        sausage log.    -   4. Variations in composition within the ranges prescribed in        Table 1. For instance, increasing the meat concentrations and        lowering or eliminating carbohydrates will increase the        leathery, grainy or wrinkled texture of the product. Note that        increasing the ratio of premium muscle meat to lower grade meat        (including offal), will also increase the natural wholesome        look, but this must be balanced with commercial considerations        such as cost and consumer preferences. To some extent, the        composition can also be adjusted dynamically during processing        by adding multiple feed points, each independently controllable,        instead of the fixed set of dry ingredients (110) suggested by        in FIG. 1.

While the invention has been described in conjunction with specificembodiments, it is evident that many alternatives, modifications,permutations and variations will become apparent to those skilled in theart in light of the foregoing description. Accordingly, it is intendedthat the present invention embraces all such alternatives, modificationsand variations as fall within the scope of the claims below.

What is claimed is:
 1. A manufacturing process for angled pet treatscomprising: (a) providing a ground proteinaceous mix to a formingchamber comprising: a fixed base surface, a fixed top surface, and amovable intermediate section insertable between said base and topsurfaces, said intermediate section having a plurality of die cavitiesthat each have a central axis oblique to the surface of saidintermediate plate, said top surface having a plurality of feeder holesthat overlap at least partially with said die cavities, (b) filling saidplurality of die cavities via said feeder holes with said foodstuff,thereby forming a plurality of portions in shapes and dimensions thatgenerally correspond to the shapes and dimensions of said die cavities,(c) moving said intermediate section containing said plurality ofportions out of said chamber, (d) forcibly ejecting said portions with aplurality of longitudinal elements that reciprocate in and out of saiddie cavities along said central axis, thereby forming angled pet treats.2. The process of claim 1 wherein said intermediate section has aparallelepiped structure.
 3. The process of claim 1 wherein said baseand top surfaces are (a) substantially flat and (b) substantiallyparallel to each other.
 4. The process of claim 3 wherein the acuteangle formed between said surfaces and said central axis is betweenabout 10 degrees and about 80 degrees.
 5. The process of claim 1 whereinsaid die cavity is in the form of an oblique cylinder.
 6. The process ofclaim 1 where said longitudinal elements are designed to be operablealong said central axis through the use of a vertical actuator and ahinge mechanism.
 7. The process of claim 1 where said longitudinalelements are designed to be operable along said central axis through theuse of an obliquely mounted actuator, where said obliquely mountedactuator is movable along an axis parallel to said central axis.
 8. Theprocess of claim 1 wherein the angle between the surface plane at thedistal end of each of said longitudinal elements, and the plane passingthrough said top surface, is between about 5 degrees and about 50degrees.
 9. The process of claim 1 where the diameter of the distal endof each of said longitudinal elements is within about 10% of the nominaldiameter of each corresponding said die cavities.
 10. A pet treat madeby the process of claim 1 that contains from about 40% to about 70% byweight of said proteinaceous material, and where said proteinaceousmaterial is selected from the group comprising one or more of thefollowing: beef, chicken, pork, turkey, venison, offal, soy or vegetableprotein.
 11. A semi-moist pet treat made by the process of claim 1having from about 15% to about 30% by weight of stabilized moisturecontent under normal storage conditions.
 12. A semi-moist angled pettreat made by the process of claim 1 having a stabilized water activitybetween 0.60 and 0.78 under normal storage conditions.
 13. An angled pettreat made by the process of claim 1 having a finished appearancesubstantially simulating an angular slice cut from a typical skinnedsausage made for human consumption.
 14. A filling and forming apparatusfor making portions to be finished into angled pet treats comprising: aforming chamber with a fixed base surface, a fixed top surface, and amovable intermediate section between said base and top surfaces, saidintermediate section having a plurality of die cavities that each have acentral axis oblique to the surface of said intermediate plate, said topsurface having a plurality of feeder holes that overlap at leastpartially with said die cavities, wherein, said intermediate section isselectively positionable in both a first filling position and a secondejecting position.
 15. The apparatus of claim 14 wherein said secondejecting position is aligned with a plurality of longitudinal elementsinsertable along said central axis of said die cavities.
 16. Theapparatus of claim 15 where said longitudinal elements are insertableand retractable along said central axis through the use of a verticalactuator and a hinge mechanism.
 17. The apparatus of claim 15 where saidlongitudinal elements are insertable and retractable along said centralaxis through the use of an obliquely mounted actuator, where saidobliquely mounted actuator is movable along an axis parallel to saidcentral axis.
 18. The apparatus of claim 14 wherein said base and topsurfaces are (a) substantially flat and (b) substantially parallel toeach other.
 19. The apparatus of claim 18 wherein the acute angle formedbetween said surfaces and said central axis is between about 10 degreesand about 80 degrees.
 20. The apparatus of claim 14 wherein said diecavity is in the form of an oblique cylinder.